The Last Day
by leel89
Summary: This fic started as a One Shot AU but I've added more - Rick is driving to Atlanta to see his girl. As she is trying to get through the last few moments of the day before they can see each other again - straight up fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is my 1st fanfic so I'm looking forward to your feedback. I posted this over on my tumblr and thought I'd also post it here.

-1-

It's Friday afternoon. The windows are down in the pickup truck as fresh air blows across Rick's face. He has been driving on the highway now for just a little over an hour, the sun is getting ready to set in the distance as his hair blows in the wind. The radio begins to play an Alan Jackson song. A small smile slowly appears as this song takes him back to one of their first dates.

XXXXXXXXXX

They both stood in silence. Shoulder to shoulder as they wait in line to get their reservations. She decided to take him to some kinda fancy restaurant for dinner where he felt a bit out of place but since they were in her neck of the woods he thought to just go with the flow. The hostess looked him up and down and judged him by his choice of casual attire. It didn't help the uncomfortable feeling but he knew the only person's opinion that mattered was hers and she told him in fact, that she loved his old cowboy boots. He told himself, You are just over thinking thangs, and like a mindreader, she reached out and rubbed his forearm to comfit him, he looked at her from the side of his eyes with a crooked smile and nodded to show her that he was ok, she nodded back and let go of him. Her hand then fell to her side with the back of their hands grazing but her index finger lingering to keep touching him, without a thought he took her hand and interlocked their fingers. He slowly looked up at her and she was trying to hide a grin that turned into a full smile once he turned his head to actually face her, to which he suddenly froze. He thought That smile could light up her whole face, the whole room for that matter. He noticed there was a sparkle in her eyes and he couldn't bring himself to look away from her as she finally broke and turned and started talking to the Hostess about the booking.

She finally looked back at him and jerked him from his thoughts as they followed the waiter to their table, still holding hands all the way. They sat and talked, laughing and enjoying themselves. He liked that he felt more at ease with her then with anyone he'd ever met. Plus it was good to hear someone actually laugh at his so-called 'lame' dad jokes. He found it fascinating that she had this way of knowing him better then he knew himself. That night he found that he could sit and listen to her talk all day long and still want to come back wanting more.

The food she suggested that night didn't sound like something he'd willingly order for himself because he was a simple meat and potato kind of guy but for some reason he trusted her judgement and once the meal arrived it looked like something straight off of the food network and he couldn't believe how amazing it tasted.

When dinner was over, he drove her back to her small apartment, during the car ride, he noticed that an Alan Jackson CD caught her eye. As she grabbed it, she gave the cover a once over.

"Do you like Alan Jackson?" he asked curiously as she flipped over the CD to read the song titles.

"Kind of…" She said.

He raised his eyebrows, surprised she even knew who Alan Jackson was, given she was a quote/unquote 'city girl'

"… Truth be told, I only really know one song" she admitted. He nodded with a grin as he continued driving.

They stopped at a red light. He couldn't stop his eyes from peering over at her. He checked to see if she was still reading the CD and then his eyes panned down to the rest of her body. The bright blue dress she was wearing was a tight fit on her torso accentuating her breasts, the dress than draped loose at her waist, it fit her well, he paused to take in all of her features again this time stopping at her long lean legs that seem to go on for days. He admired her silky smooth skin as it shined in the street lights. He scratched the back of his neck as thoughts of his own lips caressing her legs came into his mind as he bit down on his bottom lip. He then heard her chuckle and his eyes quickly darted back up to meet her face trying to remove all lust from his eyes but failing. He thought she was looking at the CD but she wasn't anymore. She was looking directly at him and she was zeroing in on his lustful thoughts. The side of her gentle face leaning against the head rest of the rental car. _Oh crap!_ He thought knowing that he had just been caught in the act of checking her out. But he still he had to ask "Whats so funny?"

She stared back at him, her brown eyes not bothering to blink as he looked back at her, he could see the same sparkle in her eyes as before and it captivated him again, before she finally said "Just you… and your wondering eyes".

Yep, busted. He grips the wheel with both hands as he scoffs and tilts his head to the side still not breaking their eye contact "but can you blame me?" his voice thick with lust now.

They smile at each other as the light turns green.

XXXXXXXXXX

In a boardroom she sits. She waits, as she thinks to herself, _this is the last meeting for the day and you'll be home free_. She will be home, finally home to him. She looks at her watch for the sixth time in less then 20 minutes and sighs as it reads 4:15pm, _it is like time is moving in slow motion_ , she thought.

When the meeting is finally wrapping up, she stacks her folders as she talks with a staff member sitting beside her before standing and leaving the room. She thinks about him, and how he is driving to her right now. She is walking to her office when she is snapped out of her train of thought when her assistants interrupts.

"Miss Williams, I've moved your Monday lunch meeting back to 1pm just like you asked and left the morning open. Mr Whitmore will be in to see you at 11am, like you asked" the young man says slightly out of breath trying to keep up with her.

"Wait" she stops "I did not say to leave the morning open Noah. I said to push my meeting back and to put my morning down as unavailable until the Whitmore meeting" She said sternly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Miss Williams, I'll-I'll be sure to change that" as they both began to walk down the hall.

"it's ok Noah, don't sweat it. When you've done that, you can go home for the day"

The young man's face lit up, his boss was very stern but also extremely nice. He thanked her and they stopped as they reached her office door before adding "Your messages Ma'am and your brother called, he wants you to call him back ASAP, something about a baby?" he says with a slightly confused look on his face.

She smiled and said "Its always 'ASAP' with him" before rolling her eyes at Noah, she took the messages and walked into her office. Noah closed the door behind her to give her some privacy for her calls. She places her work folders down and took a seat behind her hand made wooden desk.

She closes her eyes only for a moment as she remembers him again, this time with no interruptions. His tough but gentle face, his hands resting on her waist has he pulls her closer to him, his cute ringlets that fall onto the back of his collar when left too long without a trim and his stubble she knows would have gotten longer by now since he hates shaving. She smiles to herself. Then opens her eyes. She sits quietly at her desk, looking at the messages in her hands, she reluctantly picks up the phone and exhales before calling her brother, knowing that he is just blowing things out of proportion, like always!

She looks at her watch after hanging up the phone. It now reads 4:35pm she thinks to herself, I will be out of these doors in 25 minutes! After another call she tidies her desk from all the paperwork laying all over it, she then decides to text Rick. Knowing that he can't be too far away, as he told her he'd see her at 5:45pm at the latest.

XXXXXXXXXX

While paying for fuel his phone chimes, a text message. His face lights up when he knows it's from her, he slowly walks and reads:

 _'I can't wait to see you'_

He starts typing a message back right away and hits send. Then locking his phone and putting it in his back pocket before he hops behind the wheel and continues to drive.

He is now so close he can see the city skyline as another stupid smile appears on his face, he adjusts himself in the seat, eager to be in her arms again he's waited all week for that moment, her toned but slender arms, he loves when they are wrapped around his neck and her face is so close to his, he can see that sparkle in her big brown eyes. That sparkle, He only ever notices it to be there when she is looking at things she truly, truly loves, like his kids, him or sadly Carol's homemade chocolate chip cookies. Thinking about seeing his love again, he feels butterflies in the pit of his stomach, after almost 2 years she still has this effect on him. He sees the Atlanta turn off and takes it. He leans over feels inside the glove compartment, feeling under all the papers, he pauses while still trying to steer, he then tries to tidy it up by pushing all the trash in and closing it, he then looks at the stereo and checks the time. 4:50pm. I'm early, he says to himself as he keeps driving.

He now grips the steering wheel with one had as he turns the radio down to concentrate on the busy city streets. Hearing the old pickup bed rattle as he slows down and changes gears and stops at a red light. A guy in a BMW pulls up beside him and he checks out Rick's ride and having the same expression that the hostess had all those nights ago but he thinks about his love and how much she adores him. But driving to and from Atlanta has taken its toll on them but he still does it. He does it for her, no one else, just her. Sure he's lost contact with a few people now-a-days because it seems like he is never in King's County, but this is the woman he loves and he'd follow her to the end of the world and then some. He looks back at Mr. BMW in his tailored suit and thinks, thats right, you can take the boy outta the county but you can't take the county outta the boy, he smiles to himself thinking how she would of loved that dad joke.

XXXXXXXXXX

Her phone lights up in her hand. She reads his instant reply:

 _'You and me both darlin'. '_

She holds the phone close to her chest and she leans back in her chair thinking of him, the taste of his lips, the smell of his hair and the small features on his face, like the little wrinkles that appear next to his eyes when he smiles his big goofy smile. The way he can be shy but at the same time if he knows what he wants, there is nothing in this world that can stop him from getting it, after all it is one of her most treasured traits about him, thats how he managed to snag her in the first place.

She misses him, his eyes, his intense blue eyes. She misses that feeling that she gets when she looks into them, like they can look right into her soul and see her for all that she is, all the scars that she tries to keep hidden from this world. The same scars that he himself has, that he too keeps burred deep down within himself. Yes he is a big strong county boy, but he can be vulnerable and if he doesn't want you too see that side of him, you won't ever know it was there. He can lock that side of himself away from you forever and sometimes even himself. But when they look at each other, when her big browns meets his piercing blues, they both see past all the smoke and all the mirrors. They see each other for who they really are, they see into each others cores. And they can both now love at a different level then either one has let themselves before. They see all the imperfections the other has and nothing can scare or tear them apart.

Her email notification sounds from the computer as it snaps her out of it and she continues to work, returning calls and sending more emails. She checks the time on the computer. 5:00pm. A huge grin falls upon her face. She quickly shuts her computer down and collects her things. She turns off the lights and locks her office door.

"Finished already?" a co-worker asks

"Yep" was all she could say as she walks past in a hurry putting on her white knee length coat.

"How the hell do you do it Williams? You finish all your case work and everything, right at 5pm on the dot? Every Friday?"

She quickens up her pace to catch the elevator as it arrives to the floor. She turns back in time to say "Magic!" and adds a wink, the co-worker just rolls their eyes and yells back "have a good weekend!"

She waves her hand to acknowledge the farewell without looking back as she turns the corner to catch the elevator. She hits the L for Lobby, she then adjust her handbag on her shoulder. Once behind the cold, silver doors of the elevator the butterflies hit her as soon as she is standing still and motionless. The quicker I gets home, the quicker I gets to see him. She tells herself, _I will see his face again in less than 44 minutes._

The elevator doors open. She is looking in her purse for cab money as she steps out into the busy Lobby. Looking up and then down again, she see's it. A small flash of blue, she looks back up again to focus, the lobby is busy but once there is a clear view she sees it, from across the Lobby and through the glass doors, she see's it, she couldn't of missed it even if she tried. At the front of her building, it was him. Her Rick. Leaning against his blue '82 Ford Pickup Truck with the back-bed filled with the last of his moving boxes.

Without control, his face lights up as he sees her, He has his arms folded across his chest and he leans. She loves that he chose to surprise her like this. She keeps one eye on him as she crosses the lobby, behind his salt and pepper scruffy looking beard he's wearing that goofy smile that's reserved only for her, his hair is slicked back as he wears a v neck t-shirt with his favourite black jeans - the jeans with the one small hole just above his knee and his got his good old, worn out, cowboy boots on. Typical country boy she thinks to herself.

He can't take his eyes off her, it's like she is floating across the lobby to him, he looks down and sees those beautiful long legs coming out of her white coat that hides the snug fitting yellow patterned dress that shows off all of her curves that are in all of the right places and with matching yellow pumps to complete the look, she always knew how to look right, the only down fall, he can see, is this dress does not have a plunging neck line but he rationalises to himself that it would've be very unprofessional of her if it was. Her hair is tied back into a sleek and elegant bun that sits on the crown of her head, he loves her hair like that because it shows off her amazing neck and shoulders.

Once she is though the revolving glass doors he reaches into the truck and pulls out a single white rose. She stops and takes in the sight before her. They lock eyes and her face then suddenly lights up with that earth shattering smile as they both think that this was the last day. The last day we would have to wait to see each other. No more long trips back and forth, no more visits that last only a few days sometimes even hours. They have both loved and lost but this was their new beginning at real life together.

Rick's head was down but his eyes were still on her as he shyly smirks. He then gives the rose a twirl with his fingers and she runs to close the distance between them. He bends his knees slightly as she meets his open arms. Both his arms wrapped around her waist and hers around his neck. He straightens himself up as she comes onto her tippy toes. His head naturally falls to her shoulder and they both stay this way for a little while, basking in each others touch and smell. He kisses her neck several times while she closes her eyes and tries not to giggle too loud at his itchy beard scratching her. Both are glad to be together at last. She moves her head into him as she presses her lips to his ear and whispers "God, I've missed you"

Rick loosens the grip on his special girl and pulls his head back just far enough to see all of her face beaming with joy.

"Come on Mich'onne, I only had to stay back an extra week for the station transfer to go though." she sighs at the mention of her name falling out with his thick southern accent "And besides, now I'm here for good" he adds with a smile.

She raises an eyebrow and says: "Still… I've missed you like crazy -" as she nestles her head back into his neck.

He grins as he rubs his free hand up and down her back. She moves back out and presses her full lips to his in a long but sweet, tender kiss.

Once they are apart she adds "- and so have the kids, we've all missed you Rick"

He tightens his grip one last time before letting go of her and he officially hands her the rose. She cheekily takes it from him and smells it. He watches her has she admires her gift and she gently holds onto the bottom of his shirt to keep him close to her.

Rick coyly says "You know, Carl is old enough now to not miss me" Michonne glances at him as he continues "and well… Judith is-"

Michonne cuts him off "-Don't you dare say: 'Judith isn't old enough to know thaaangs' - Rick, she is talking now!"

He rolls his eyes and places a playful love tap to her backside and then moves to open the door behind him before adding "just because you THINK she called you momma once doesn't mean she's -"

"Richard Grimes!" she cut him off again and adds a little slap to his chest for good measure "I know what I heard! Not you, nor Carl can say any different" she said a matter of factly.

"yeah, ok, fine… whatever you think darlin' " he says as she climbs into the truck.

He closes her door and walks around to hop into the drivers side. All the while admiring her and her beauty.

"Oh how was brother and sister holdin' up as baby sitters?" he adds after he sits behind the wheel.

She shoots him a side glance. He frowned before saying "Oooo, that bad huh? You'd think with Sasha being a school teacher and Ty being around Judith for all this time, they'd pick up on it by now"

She shrugged her shoulders and added "Its the last day" as she sighs at the thought of the busy and borderline stressful week she's had, everything from school enrolment to unpacking in a 4 bedroom house.

He puts his belt on and turns the ignition and shifts the gears out of park. He pauses and takes one last look at her in her relaxed state, happy to be with him again and putting an end to a hectic week. All of a sudden he can hear his own heart pounding in his chest. Then his eyes drift from her to the glove compartment in front of her. Right in the very back, under all the papers crammed in there, there is a small black velvet box. A box that contains a single diamond ring that he and Carl pick out for her last weekend before the kids left Kings County with Michonne to start their new life in Atlanta.

She looks over at him and and he says "Yeah. Lets go home baby"

Huge smiles on both of their faces at the thought of their own home waiting for them as Michonne rubs his knee in agreement and her index finger finds that little hole in his jeans.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the feed back guys, the more I think about this story, the more I can add to it... lets just see where this will go! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

-2-

 _ **ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO...**_

The coffee shop was full. People walking in and out, business people, hipsters and women in work out clothes. Michonne stood impatiently with her arms folded. She was going to be late to her 9am meeting.

 _What is taking so long?_ She thought as she tapped her index finger on her arm. Michonne was a lawyer at Atlanta's hottest Law Firm: Cooper  & Johnson. She hated being late, even if it was for a stupid meeting that she didn't want to attend. She always felt that tardiness was disrespectful.

She cursed under her breath as she waited for her name to be called. She looked at her phone, checking the time. 8:40am.

"ahh... Mich... Mich-elle?" the Barista called out "Michelle!... Vanilla Latte for a Michelle?"

"Oh for fu..." Michonne cursed as she walked over to the pick up area.

She took her cup and added "It's MichONNE" as she glared at the barista.

Turning on her heel she bumped into someone and her cup slipped out of her hand. She closed her eyes out of disbelief. This day is getting worse and worse. She thought as she sighed. A man's voice was apologising repeatedly as she looked down to assess the damage. It wasn't that bad, the lid on the take away cup kept all the liquid inside. A few coffee spots that spat out and landing on her skirt was the only damage. Before she could look for a napkin. The man who was still apologising, was now dabbing at said skirt.

"I'm... I'm so sorry ma'am" the man said.

"Don't worry about it" she said sounding frustrated.

He picked up her cup and he straightened himself up. Michonne did the same and then their eyes finally meet. She suddenly felt like she had forgotten how to breathe. Her mind was blank as the coffee shop became silent and moving in, what felt like, slow motion. She intensely stared into his eyes. There was something about him. He felt... Familiar. His face was rugard but he wore it well. When she looked into his eyes, she saw something. She wasn't sure what it was but it was something. They had never crossed paths before, if they did, she would have never of forgotten him. They both stood frozen in time, looking into each others eyes.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rick's phone rang, waking him from his sleep. He reached for it with his eyes still closed. The phone said Shane. _Why can't he just leave me alone_ , he thought as he tossed his phone back on the nightstand. _This is the first day_ , he thought as he looked pasted his phone to check at the time. 8am. He hopped out of his hotel bed and began to get ready for the day.

Shane and Rick have been like brothers since high school. Recently, Rick has been avoiding him. He didn't feel like listening to Shane talk about moving on from Lori.

Lori is-was his wife. She died 6 months ago while giving birth to Judith. He provided and she looked after their son. Sure their marriage wasn't perfect, they argued, had disagreements but he still loved her. They married straight out of high school. Then they were pregnant. The older Carl got, the more they would bicker. Judith was going to be their 2nd chance at a happy family.

As part of the King's County Sheriff's department, Rick was ordered to take counselling before returning to active duty. He didn't like it but he knew that it was the only way to move forward. Once he attended a few sessions, he was able to return to desk work a few days a week. Rick's counsellor organised for him to start attending group meetings in Atlanta. The counsellor thought it was a good way to start opening up. To make it easier the counsellor thought it would be better if Rick first spoke with people who had also been though the same type of grief he had been going through.

He ate his breakfast and drank the last of his coffee. He stood up from his table and began walking to the exit as his phone received a text. It was from his friend Carol back in Kings County. Rick slid open his phone to read the text.

'Just checking in, no trouble this morning with the kids, Carl and Sophie are off to school and Judith is being Judith'

While walking across the coffee shop with his head down in his phone. He smiled big as he opened a photo Carol had attached of Judith sleeping with her pacifier beside her head. Without looking where he was walking, Rick managed to walk into somebody. Causing them to drop their coffee on the floor. He quickly looked up from his phone and realised what he had done.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry" Rick said realising he had hit a woman and coffee was now on her grey skirt. He turned and quickly grabbed a few napkins. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm... I'm so sorry ma'am"

He kneeled down and started patting at her skirt. He was also cursing himself for being so unaware of his surroundings.

"Don't worry about it" the woman said. Rick could hear in her tone that she was angry. He picked up her cup which managed to hit the floor and stay in the upright position.

"Sorry again" Rick said as he stood up from drying her skirt.

Then their eyes met. Rick stood motionless, almost scared to move. Like there was a shift in the world and if he looked away, the whole world would crumble around him. He stood paralysed in a sea of moving people. He couldn't explain this feeling deep within him as he looked into her eyes. It felt almost like he was seeing the world for the 1st time. Sure, he has met beautiful and attractive women before, but she - she was different. The way her big brown eyes invited him in. The way her face changed, becoming softer the longer they kept each others eye contact. He couldn't stop himself from staring at her as he began to only hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He wanted to break away but he couldn't. He wanted to say something but he couldn't. He just stood there - frozen.

Suddenly Michonne heard her phone chime, her calendar, reminding her of her 9am meeting. She unwillingly pulled her eyes away from him and looked down at her phone. She finally broke their stare. The sound of the busy coffee shop came back to both their ears and Rick then realised he was holding her coffee cup.

"I'm sorry...ahh..." he said as he looked at the name on the cup "...Mich-onne... I wasn't watching' where I was goin', it's all my fault"

Michonne's mouth began to water at the sound of her name coming through that thick southern accent. Her eyes slowly drifted up. He was now wearing a crooked smile which in turn made her smile a little too.

"It's ok" she replied trying not to look him in the eyes.

"Are you sure? I'd offer to buy you a new cup but this place is crazy..." he said as he looked around at the shop "I'm... I'm Rick by the way" he said nervously.

"It's ok, Rick. I have to go, meeting"

Rick nodded, a bit disappointed that she was about to leave and he wouldn't be seeing her again. Michonne's heart was racing. Rick wanted to say something but his mind was going a thousand miles a minute. Before he could think of something to say, Michonne reached into her purse and pulled out a business card. She was looking at him, looking at her card before she realised what she had done. _I give these cards to everyone, why not him too_ , she tried to reassure herself. He smiled again. Michonne panicked at his beautiful smile and before she could stop the words from leaving her mouth "I've really got to go now" she spat out.

Their eyes meeting again before she slowly started to back out of their conversation.

"Good-Bye Michonne" he said lifting up her card.

"Good-Bye Rick" she said to the floor. Still not wanting to make direct eye contact again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rick sat in the large room waiting for the rest of the group therapy people to arrive. He was looking at the business card Michonne had given him. It was glossy, with one side red while the other was white. On the red side it had an embossed balance scale with the words 'Cooper & Johnson'. On the other side it was white with Black font. Except for a thick red band running from one side to the other with her name in white font: Michonne Williams. Rick ran his finger over her name. He wanted to call her right then and there, but he remembered she had a meeting, _Lunch! I'll call her for Lunch_ , he thought. His smile now fading from his face because he couldn't help but think about Lori.

Just then his phone rang, he stood and walked to the other side of the room. Trying not to disturb people as they entered. It was Shane.

"Rick! I wanted to catch you before the group thing"

"What is it Shane, we are about to start"

"Look, I just wanted to check when you'd be back home today for our Friday night drinks down at Abe's, I've got a few chicks lined up, just dyin' to meet ya" Shane said cheerfully.

"I don't know, I'll text you when I'm on my way back, gotta go" Rick said as he hung up his phone. He pinched the bridge of his nose at the thought of Shane trying to set him up on a date... again.

Shane had been telling him that Lori would of wanted him to move on. Shane would try and set Rick up on dates, he was hell bent on it. When Rick declined, Shane would always remind him that Lori kicked him out more times then none. He'd always bring up the fact that Rick spent more nights on his couch then in his own bed. Rick was even talking about a divorce before Lori fell pregnant. Rick just didn't feel anything with any of the ladies Shane had him meet, but today. When Rick met Michonne, It was different. There was something special about her. Michonne gave off a vibe that he knew he wanted to get to know her. Rick didn't feel that way about the other women. However, Rick being the man that he is, still felt a sense of duty to Lori.

Rick sighed. He didn't like that he was about to talk to a room full of strangers about Lori. He put his phone in his pocket and turned around to make his way back to his chair. Just as did so, _she_ walked into the room. Michonne. Michonne was there. She was at _his_ meeting.

They locked eyes, and the world stopped spinning for a second time.

 **The next chapter is going to focus more on their past and watching as their story plays out. Hope you all stick around for the next few chapters I have coming your way! - I'm trying to get a lot more writing done so I'll post them as soon as I finish them! Also, in case you wanted to know, my Tumblr is also leel89. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry this update took so long, I was on break, but I hope you like this chapter, please leave feedback and tell me your thoughts! thanks! xx

-3-

The group therapy room had ugly patterned grey carpet with stains here and there, the half empty room felt bland, everyone in the room sat on cold steel fold up chairs. Rick sat looking at Michonne, who in turn sat on the other side of the circle with her head down, she was looking at her own hands. John, the counsellor, welcomed everyone and opened the floor to whoever wanted to speak. An older man started speaking about his son's drunk driving that got not only him killed but also another woman. Rick was still watching Michonne, he swallowed hard when she finally looked up, Rick's eyes darted away from her, he sat up straighter and looked around the room finally stopping at the man speaking.

Michonne breathed slowly, _how can HE be here?_ She asked herself as she watched him fidget in his chair, she felt her face grow warm the longer she looked at him. She swore to herself that she won't look at him for the remainder of the time they were here, but before she got to the end of the thought, she noticed he was side eyeing her. He was looking at her heels, then his eyes traveled up her crossed legs. Michonne tilted her head to one side and a small wrinkle formed between her eyebrows as she narrowed her eyes, _Is he really checking me out during group therapy?_ She thought, her face softened and she couldn't stop the small smile that was now creeping into the corner of her lips, she couldn't figure out why but she liked him giving her this kind of attention, she leaned forward placing her wrists on her knee still not looking away from him, she wanted to see how far he'd go.

Rick couldn't stop his eyes from finding her no matter how hard he tried, he noted that she was now wearing a different skirt, _she must've changed_ , he thought as his eyes landed on her hands, they were long and slender, her nails matched her heel colour and she wore a thin gold bracelet on one wrist while sporting an expensive looking watch on the other. Rick's eyes then came to focus on her blouse as they continued their journey upwards, he couldn't remember it being that open from earlier but he liked it, when his eyes found hers, he realised she was leaning forward and looking right at him with a tilted head, raised eyebrows and a ghost of a smile. Rick blinked rapidly and was about to look away, but she was now grinning at him, he closed his eyes out of embarrassment, then looked at her while slightly shaking his head trying to say sorry. Michonne now had a crooked smile while nodding to accepting his apology before they both turned their attention to the counsellor who was now speaking.

XXXXXXXXXX

The meeting was in full swing now, John asked the new people to speak, he looked at Rick and he nodded.

"Um, Hi, my name is Rick, I'm a Sheriffs Deputy, I'm not big on speaking about emotions but this, this is helping" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He inhaled before saying; "My wife died bringing our daughter into the world" he paused and looked down as he didn't want to see all the eyes in the room looking at him "I'm clueless" Rick said to the ground. "Lori was supposed to be here to do this, but she's not" he took in a breath before looking up "So my son Carl and I have worked out a system that works for us, In the beginning it felt like I didn't really have time to grieve for Lori because of the problems we had... and now the new baby..." he trilled off, he looked over and saw that Michonne had now closed her eyes and her head was turned away from him. He looked back at John and continued "but these sessions have helped both myself and my son" Rick smiled "We are now closer and more open with each other then ever before" he said a little hopeful.

"Thanks for sharing Rick, anyone else" said John, he's eyes fell on Michonne.

She nodded and inhaled, before she could begin talking she closed her eyes again and frowned.

"My name is Michonne" she stated before opening her eyes to look at the room, "and I lost someone who was very special to me" she willed herself not to cry as a lump grew in her throat just thinking about him. "I moved to Atlanta for a fresh start but now I realise... I was just running away from my past, from him, my peanut" she closed her eyes again.

Rick's heart sank to the pit of his stomach as he realised. _She lost a child,_ he thought, he brought his hand to his face, rubbing his stubble.

"I came back here, to my family, hoping they would fight my battles for me, but..." she shook her head and sat up straighter "but I'm done running" she said with a strong voice.

"Thank you Michonne..." John stood up "and thanks to everyone who shared today, next week we will start a little later than usual, so be here at 9:30. But before you leave, If you'd like, please take some food, there are plenty of food over on the table"

Everyone stood and started to either leave, talk or get food. Rick was still looking at the ground thinking of Michonne and all that she lost when someone approached him.

"Hey, that was good Rick"

He looked up to see John, he moved to sit next to him as Rick awkwardly smiled.

"Um, thanks?"

"Rick, don't be too hard on yourself ok, this first meeting is always a bit of a shock to the system"

"yeah" Rick chuckled a bit trying to releive the distress within him.

"its good once you realise there are other people like you"

Rick sighed "yeah, like when people say 'I know its hard' and you kind of don't believe them... but here.." He trilled off as he looked around the room. He imedantly noticed Michonne's absence, he began to look around to find her but she was no longer in the room.

John read his body language. "You lose something?"

Bringing Rick's attention back to him "Ahh, yeah... kind of, I gotta go, see you next week" Rick stood up and began to leave the room before John could respond.

The hallway was full of people as he ducked and weaved trying to find her, he reached the front doors and she was still no where to be found. He stopped and turned around hoping he'd passed her, with no luck he gave into defeat, He dropped his head, _well I still have her card, so thats a plus_ , he though to himself.

"Umm... Are you ok?" a sweet and soft voice came from the side of him.

Rick scratched his eyebrow with his thumb before responding "yeah" he looked up and it was Michonne. She was now wearing a small grin.

"I thought you left" he said a little too relieved.

She shrugged before saying "I'm about too"

"I wanted to apologise about earlier, at the coffee shop, I..."

"Look" she said cutting him off "I'm sorry but that's not good enough" she said shaking her head

Rick was taken aback by her sudden change in tone, "I'm really sorr..."

"Save it" she cut him off again causing Rick to frown. A smile returned to her face before continuing "but you can make up for it"

Rick bit his bottom lip and nodded.

"I was thinking a payback coffee of some sorts?" she perched her lips a little before adding "What do you think?"

Rick put his head down as he thought about the offer.

It was only a moment, but to Michonne it felt like forever, her eyes lingered on him as he was thinking over the offer. Rick seemed like a nice guy, He was just trying his best with the cards he was dealt, like everyone in that room. She couldn't explain why but she felt a pull to him, like she could trust him, and that didn't come easy for her, she usually bottled up all her emotions not letting anyone in, keeping everyone at arms length. Only a select few was allowed access into her inner sanctum but this man, this stranger, he was different.

Rick stepped closer, in a low and raspy voice he said "...ok"

Rick could feel his body react to being in such close proximity to her, Rick noticed she smelled amazing, like the ocean and coconuts, he smiled as he locked eyes with her, he tilted his head to the side as he realised the sunlight that was coming though the doors was hitting her just the right way, and in this light, her eyes where a soft milk chocolate colour with a flash of amber. She suddenly forgot how to breath and she felt her heart race as he continued to look at her, his eyes not breaking away.

She swallowed hard before saying "when... when did you want to do it..."

Rick raised his eyebrows and she quickly added "want to get the coffee, when did you want to get coffee?"

He suddenly looked away, like he just realised he was looking at her for too long. "Today, if it's ok with you"

"I can do today, say 3pm?"

"Sure, I'll meet you at Tom's again?" he said

Michonne nodded and gave him a shy smile before walking towards the doors.

"Goodbye Rick"

"Goodbye Michonne"

XXXXXXXXXX

Rick entered Tom's Cafe for the second time that day. He looked around the almost half full cafe. He smiled once he spotted her sitting at a table by some windows. _Michonne_ , he thought. She looked over as if she could hear her name being said inside of his head and smiled back at him. He walked over to the small round table and sat on the opposite side

"You're early" he said, while wearing the same smile he walked in with.

"You're almost late" she said.

"I'm on time" he quipped back

She shrugged her shoulders before saying "Agree to disagree"

He looked at her and nodded, _I like this banter_ , he thought. A woman came over to take their orders and left, as soon as she left silence fell over them both.

Michonne read his face as he was trying to find something to say, so she decided to break the silence for him. "So how does one become a Sheriff?"

"I'm not a Sheriff, I'm just a Deputy and I became one because my grandpa was one and I looked up to him"

She nodded.

"And what about you?... Why did you become a lawyer?"

"I like arguing" she said with a smile causing Rick to look away almost like she was too beautiful to look at.

"I'm kidding Rick, My Mother made us do extra activities in school to keep us busy and out of trouble, My twin brother Ty joined the football team and I joined the debate team. I liked it a lot and I knew I wanted to do it for a living, so after I graduated I went straight to Law School"

She noticed that Rick was looking at her and not saying anything, _oh god, why did I say all that? I never just let stuff like that just spill out of my mouth_ , she thought.

"So... you have a twin?"

"Ah yeah and a little sister, do you have any siblings?"

"Not really, I have Shane, he's been my best friend since before I could remember, he's the closest thing I have to a brother" Rick paused for a moment thinking back. "And boy, we got into trouble" he said before smiling again.

The coffee's arrived and they continued to talk. For every one thing they had in common they found they had twice as many things to disagree on, everything from movies to music. But they laughed and they both enjoyed the comfort the other brought. Kind of like they knew they where both hurting but this time together was like a whole different type of healing for them both. Rick was the first to open up about Lori, and how it was hard to grieve for someone who wasn't really there to begin with. Michonne offered him her thoughts and shared her past experiences with her ex-boyfriend Mike and how his cheating ways caused their demise.

"But out of all that shit, I got him, My son Andre" she paused and rick noticed the serious turn of the conversation. "He died in a car accident. Thats why I'm here, Mike would have him every other weekend and one afternoon he was driving back to his place after picking Andre up for the weekend. The roads were covered in ice and I'm not sure how but Mike managed to swerve off the road and a truck coming in the other direction hit the back and..." she stopped. Rick reached out and grabbed her hand that was resting on the table and began to rub it gently "He was 4, he was just beginning to become his own person and just like that, he was gone".

Rick couldn't even begin to imagine losing Carl or Judith and he didn't quite know what to say, so he said what he thought was right.

"I'm sorry"

Michonne chortled before saying "There you go again. Apologising... You can't fix everything Rick" she paused for a moment before sadness washed over her "this is something I have to fix myself"

Rick just stared at her before eventually saying "that doesn't mean you have to do it alone"

Silence fell over them again, Michonne's head fell, her locks covering her face. Rick didn't realise he was still holding her hand until she squeezed it.

Michonne couldn't believe how in one day, Rick had managed to creep behind all the layers and walls that she had built up over the years, the same walls she ran and hid behind. _How did this happen_ , she thought, _how can I feel this way with him? He's a stranger. Well not anymore, I just told him about Andre, he knows about Mike and all the shit I went though_. Her thoughts started to consume her.

"You still here?" Rick quietly asked.

She eventually nodded, still not looking up at him.

"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere"

 _Here he is, he's just kicked down the last door Michonne, he's here for you, he didn't bother knocking, he just tore his way though, Mike didn't get this far._ Her thoughts continued to bounce around

Rick rubbed her hand again and Michonne wiped her tears away with the other, she was scared to look up, to look into those beaming blue eyes of his. Rick grabbed her other hand and pulled them both closer to him begging her to look at him. He could feel that this was a big moment for her and just as he was about to say something, her head slowly started to rise. She looked at him and forced a smile. Rick knew it wasn't a real smile, her real smile could cause the world to fade away. Her big beautiful brown eyes were sad, and he knew the only thing he could do is just be there for her.

"Thank you Rick" she finally said as one last tear fell from her eye and ran down her cheek.

Rick nodded. He couldn't stand to see her eyes like this, so much pain and hurt behind them. He reached out and cupped the side of her face and wiped the tear away with his thumb. She tilted her head into his palm and he let his hand linger a little longer.

"Thank you" he said almost a whisper.

Now a genuine smile swept across her face and Rick knew, right then and there that he had found the one person he didn't even know he was looking for. He found Michonne.

Rick's phone vibrated on the table bringing them both back to reality. Rick grabbed his phone and seen it was a text message from Shane.

"It's Shane" Rick said a little frustrated. He knew Shane was only texting him for drinks and meeting the newest batch of 'chicks' he managed to wrangle up for him to meet.

"Its fine, I have to get back to work, I told them I'd be 15 minutes at the most" she looked at her watch before added "and its been an hour and 45"

"Oh ok" he said while following her lead in standing up "will you be here next week?" he added.

"yeah, I'll be here"

"Do you want to have coffee again after or..." Rick trailed off

"I can't do an hour and 45 coffee break every friday Deputy, what about dinner instead?" Michonne said with a hopeful beam.

"Sure" Rick said a little surprised "Dinner is fine".

"Ok dinner it is" She said before turning on her heel to exit the coffee shop.

Michonne looked back at him and smiled, she knew she couldn't let this man slip away, she knew he was special and would do everything in her power to keep him close. He had a big goofy looking smile on his face as she left. _I like that smile_ , she thought as she pushed the shop door open.


End file.
